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Water restrictions lifted in Sydney

Sydneysiders can again use sprinklers and watering systems, with rising dam levels prompting the NSW government to lift tough water restrictions.

The government's new Water Wise rules will take effect from midnight on Sunday, allowing Sydney, Illawarra and Blue Mountains residents to use hand-held hoses, sprinklers and watering systems on any day before 10am and after 4pm.

The only exemption from the allocated times allows children to play under the sprinkler on hot days.

Under the new rules, hand-held hoses must be fitted with a trigger nozzle when watering or washing vehicles.

Hosing of hard surfaces is only allowed for emergency and construction activities or for health and safety purposes.

The new long-term rules replace Level Three restrictions, which banned sprinklers and watering systems and only allowed hand-held watering at specific times on Wednesdays and Sundays.

NSW Water Minister Phil Costa said the new rules end five years of tough drought restrictions, after careful consideration of storage levels and additional water sources, like recycling and desalination.

"Our dam levels have been on the rise over the past year and we have 20 recycling schemes across greater Sydney now recycling about 25 billion litres of water per year," Mr Costa said in a statement.

"These few simple rules reinforce the importance of using water responsibly and minimising waste."

Greens MP John Kaye said the new rules were just an attempt to justify the controversial desalination plant at Kurnell.

"The next time Warragamba levels begin to fall, the NSW government will need to reverse its message and ask households to re-plant their gardens again," Dr Kaye said in a statement.

"Sooner or later gardeners will lose patience with the on-again-off-again message coming from Sydney Water."

Fines of $220 for individuals and $550 for businesses apply for breaches of the Water Wise Rules.